The Roman Catholic Church: Catholicism
and the Bible

Can the
teaching and practices of the Roman Catholic Church be found in
the Bible? What about the authority of the Pope, church councils,
tradition, and church law?

Do the Scriptures authorize the
teachings of Catholicism about the Mass (Eucharist),
transubstantiation, purgatory, indulgences, abstinence, celibacy,
Lent, confession to priests, communion, immaculate conception,
the perpetual virginity of Mary, and prayer to saints and Mary? Is
the Catholic church really the one true church according to the
Bible?

Introduction:

The Roman Catholic church teaches that it is the original
church built by Jesus and that non-Catholic churches are departures from Catholicism. The New Testament often warns us of the danger
of false teaching and apostasy (Acts 20:28-30; 2 Tim. 4:2-4; I
Tim. 4:1-3). The question to be considered by all honest people,
then, is whether the Catholic church is the original true church
and others are apostate, or whether the Catholic church is itself
an apostasy.

The way to answer this question is to compare the teachings of
the Catholic church to the teachings of Jesus as revealed in the
New Testament. The claim of the Catholic church to be the true
and original church is a valid claim if and only if the teaching
and practice of the Catholic church agrees with the New Testament
(2 Tim. 3:16,17; I Cor. 14:37; Matt. 7:15-27; 2 John 9-11; Gal. 1:6-9;
I John 2:3-6; John 8:31,32).

Let us consider the teaching of the Catholic church regarding
several subjects of major interest (such as the Pope, church
councils, tradition, church law, the Mass or eucharist,
transubstantiation, purgatory, indulgences, abstinence, celibacy,
Lent, confession to priests, communion, immaculate conception,
the perpetual virginity of Mary, and prayer to saints and Mary).
On each point we will simply let the Catholic church speak for
itself by quoting from its authorized books. Then we will compare
that to what is taught in the Catholic Bible itself. Please see
the bibliography for specific information regarding the sources
cited.

STANDARD OF AUTHORITY

In addition to the Bible, Catholicism also follows
tradition and the decrees of the Pope and church councils as
religious authority.

"Did God intend that the Bible alone should be the
guide to salvation? No, because certain things in the Bible
can be misunderstood, and because the Bible does not have
everything God taught" - Catechism, p. 51.

"Do we get from the Bible alone all our knowledge and
certainty about what God has told us? No, there is also
Sacred Tradition What is tradition? The Word of God
handed on to us by the Apostles in their preaching and by
their successors in the church to the present day Do
you have to believe in tradition? Yes we are obliged
to accept all the truths contained in the Bible and Tradition "
- Catechism, pp. 9,10.

"Council assemblies of the rulers of the
Church legally convoked, for the discussion and decision of
ecclesiastical affairs The decrees of general councils
have no binding authority till confirmed by the Pope
The infallibility of general councils so confirmed follows
from that of the Church " - Dictionary, pp.
227-230.

"Does Jesus require us to follow the Pope in matters
of religion? Yes, because obedience and loyalty to the Pope
are among the chief requirements of Our Lord's plan for unity
Can the Pope make an error when teaching religion? Not
when he is speaking solemnly (ex cathedra) as head of the
church. Then he has that special protection from error which
God gives as a spiritual safeguard for all the members of the
church" - Catechism, p. 56.

But the Bible teaches:

1. The original apostles received all the truth we need to
guide us to eternal life, and they wrote this down in the
Scriptures (John 16:13; 2 Pet. 1:3; Acts 20:20,27; Matt. 28:20; I
Cor. 14:37; 2 Tim. 3:16,17).

2. The teachings of these inspired writers can be understood
by the common people. We do not need official interpreters to
understand the word, but we should use the word to check out the
teachers! (Mark 7:14; 2 Tim. 3:16,17; John 20:30,31; Acts 17:11;
Psa. 119:105)

3. We displease God when we follow tradition or church laws or
any human standard as the source of authority for the church (Matt.
15:1-14; Col. 2:8; Gal. 1:6-9; Prov. 14:12; 2 John 9-11; Jer. 10:23).

CHURCH ORGANIZATION

Catholicism teaches that the Pope is the earthly head of
the church.

"The Pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the Vicar of
Christ on earth is the visible head of the whole
Catholic Church Who was the first Pope? St. Peter, who
was made Pope by Jesus Christ Himself Did Peter's
authority die with him? No, it was handed down to a man named
Linus, and after he died, it was handed down to another, and
so on, during the past 2000 years" - Catechism,
pp. 55,56. Below the Pope in the church hierarchy are various
levels of cardinals, bishops, priests, etc.

"The law of the [Roman] Church forbids persons living
in the married state to be ordained, and persons in holy
orders [priests, etc.], to marry" - Dictionary, p.
132.

But the Bible teaches:

1. Jesus is the Head, foundation, and chief shepherd of the
church (Eph. 1:22,23; Col. 1:18; Matt. 28:18; I Cor. 3:11; Acts 4:10,11;
I Pet. 2:3-8; John 10:11,14; I Pet. 5:4; Heb. 13:20). For the
church to have two heads (Jesus and the Pope) would be spiritual
adultery, like a woman having two husbands (cf. Eph. 5:22-24 to
Rom. 7:2,3).

Note on Matt. 16:18 - The "rock" on which Jesus
built His church is not Peter, but it is the truth that Jesus is
the Son of God (v13-17). In this context, Jesus is not confessing
and exalting Peter; rather, Peter is confessing and exalting
Jesus! The "rock" on which the church is built (Greek
PETRA) is a solid ledge of stone. It is not the same as Peter (Greek
PETROS, a stone), but is contrasted to Him. This agrees with I
Cor. 3:11 and other verses listed above, which show Jesus is the
foundation of the church.

2. Peter had no greater authority than the other apostles (2
Cor. 11:5; 12:11,12). All had power to bind and loose by
preaching the gospel guided by the Holy Spirit (cf. Matt. 16:19
to 18:18; John 20:22f; and Mark 16:15,16; John 16:13; Gal. 1:11,12).
Peter had the "keys" to be the first one to preach this
gospel and open the door to both Jews and Gentiles to enter the
church (Acts 2 and Acts 10), but others preached as much and as
effectively as he did (I Cor. 15:10).

3. Peter did not fit the pattern of modern Popes. He was
married (Matt. 8:14; I Cor. 9:5). He refused to allow men to bow
to honor him religiously (Acts 10:25,26). He wore no exalted
title such as "Father" (Matt. 23:9).

4. No one today can be a successor to Peter or to any other
apostle. Apostles had to be eyewitnesses of the resurrected
Christ (Acts 1:21,22; I Cor. 9:1; 15:8; Acts 2:32; 3:15; etc.).
Apostles confirmed their apostleship by doing miracles (2 Cor. 12:12;
Mark 16:20; Acts 3:1-10; 9:32-42; etc.). Those who received this
miraculous power from the apostles, could not in turn pass it on
to others (Acts 8:5-18).

5. Marriage is honorable for all, including apostles and
bishops (Heb. 13:4; Matt. 8:14; I Cor. 9:5; I Tim. 3:2,4; Tit. 1:5-7).
It is a clear sign of apostacy to forbid people to marry (I Tim.
4:1-3).

COMMUNION

Catholicism teaches that the elements in communion become
the literal flesh and blood of Jesus.

"The Holy Eucharist is the Sacrament in which Jesus
Christ is really and physically present under the appearances
of bread and wine [T]he appearances of the bread and
wine (taste, smell, color, size, shape, weight) did not
change, even though the bread and wine were actually changed
into the Body and Blood of Jesus. The substance of the bread
and wine are changed into the substance of the body and blood
of Jesus. This change is called transubstantiation.

"When does the priest change bread and wine into the
Body and Blood of Jesus? At Mass, when he says, 'This is my
Body. This is My Blood.'

"What is the Mass? The sacrifice of the Cross, the
sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, offered in
an unbloody manner under the appearances of bread and wine
Who offered the first Mass? Jesus offered the first
Mass at the Last Supper when He changed the bread and wine
into His Body and Blood Is the sacrifice of the Mass
the same as the sacrifice of the cross? Yes, they are the
same " - Catechism, pp. 69-76.

But the Bible teaches:

1. Even after Jesus said "This
is my body This is my blood," the elements were still
described as "fruit of the vine," "bread,"
and "cup." Both statements cannot be taken physically.
(Matt. 26:29; I Cor. 11:26-28)

2. Jesus' sacrifice was not repeated, so the mass cannot be
the same sacrifice offered today (Heb. 7:26,27; 9:24-28; 10:9,10;
I Pet. 3:18).

3. Jesus could not have offered a sacrifice (the "first
mass") before He died because the Old Testament was still in
effect then, and He could not serve as a priest under that
testament (Heb. 7:12-14; 8:4; 9:15,16).

4. Changing bread and wine to flesh and blood would require a
miracle. True miracles could always be verified by the physical
evidence that the change had occurred (cf. John 2:1-11),
yet Catholicism admits there is no evidence of change in the
bread and cup. Furthermore, miracles have ceased and cannot occur
since the "perfect" written word was completed (I Cor.
13:8-13; cf. Jude 3; James 1:25).

5. Drinking blood is forbidden (Acts 15:29).

6. "This is my body This is my blood" refers,
not to the physical substance of the
elements, but to their spiritual
significance. Other similar statements of Jesus are: "I am
the door I am the vine" (John 10:7,9; 15:1,5).

In a memorial, one thing is used to remind us of another thing.
The memorial is never physically and literally the thing it
reminds us of (cf. I Cor. 11:24,25 to Ex. 12:11-14). If I show
you a picture and say, "This is my wife," you do not
conclude that my wife is a piece of photographic paper. The
picture is a memorial which reminds me of my wife. So the bread
and fruit of the vine are elements which remind us of Jesus' body
and blood.

EXALTATION OF MARY & PRAYER TO SAINTS

Catholicism exalts Mary to a super-human position, and
prays to her and to saints.

" the Blessed Virgin can do whatever she pleases
both in heaven and on earth At the command of Mary,
all obey, even God God grants the prayers of Mary as
if they were commands Yes, Mary is omnipotent
for the queen by every law enjoys the same privileges as the
king Since the mother, then, should have the same
power as the Son, rightly has Jesus, who is omnipotent, made
Mary also omnipotent whatever the Mother asks for, the
Son never denies her" - Glories, pp. 154-156.

"Catholics believe that the Blessed Virgin was free
from all actual sin because of divine tradition confirmed by
the Council of Trent" - Question Box, p. 360.

"The Church teaches us that [Mary] was always a
Virgin - a Virgin before her espousals, during her married
life and after her spouse's death" - Faith of Our
Fathers, p. 138.

" the Eternal Father besides giving us
Jesus Christ, our principal Advocate with Him, was pleased
also to give us Mary, as our Advocate with Jesus Christ
He has placed the whole price of redemption in the
hands of Mary, that she may dispense it at will .. [T]he way
of salvation is open to none otherwise than through Mary ..
No one is saved but through thee Whoever asks and
expects to obtain graces without the intercession of Mary,
endeavors to fly without wings [A]ll graces are
dispensed by Mary, and all who are saved are saved
only by the means of this Divine Mother " - Glories,
pp. 169,85,143f,8.

"O most pure Virgin Mary, I worship thy most holy
heart It is well to say the rosary kneeling,
before an image of Mary" -Glories, pp. 104,508.

Catholic prayer books contain examples of prayers that members
should pray to Mary or to other saints (see "The Confiteor"
in Catechism, p. 135, and "Prayer to St. Joseph"
in St. Pius X Daily Missal, p. 1031).

But the Bible teaches:

1. Jesus was born from Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke
1:35). He possessed His divine characteristics in common with God
and His human characteristics in common with Mary. Hence, He
possesses omnipotence because of His Deity (John 1:1-3,14; Phil.
2:6-11; Col. 2:9; Eph. 1:19-23). But Mary would not share in
Jesus' Divine characteristics. To say she is omnipotent would
exalt her to the position of Deity.

2. Deity is sinless (Deut. 32:4). Though Jesus has always been
God, He came to earth as a man and lived sinlessly (2 Cor. 5:21;
I John 3:5; I Pet. 2:22; Heb. 4:15). All other humans sin (Rom. 3:10,12,23).
That includes Mary. To say Mary is sinless would exalt her to
Deity and make God a liar (I John 1:8,10).

3. Virginity before marriage is a virtue, but after marriage
it is not a virtue (Heb. 13:4). In fact, to refuse the sexual
union with one's marriage spouse is a sin because it tempts one's
spouse to commit fornication (I Cor. 7:2-5). Jesus had "brothers
and sisters" in the very same sense that Mary was His "mother"
(Matt. 12:46-50; Mark 6:3). (Note that "sister" never
refers in the gospel to a cousin or more distant relative. There
was a different Greek word for a female cousin or kinswoman -
Luke 1:36.)

4. Jesus is our only mediator and advocate with God in prayer
and in salvation (I Tim. 2:5; I John 2:1,2). Only God can
dispense forgiveness (Mk. 2:7- 12). Salvation is only through
Jesus (Acts 4:12; Heb. 5:9).

5. We worship only Deity, not created beings (Matt. 4:10; Rom.
1:23,25). We must not bow or kneel to any created being or statue
in religious honor (Acts 10:25,26; Rev. 22:8,9; 19:10). To honor
Mary as Catholics do is idolatry (I John 5:21).

LENT AND ABSTINENCE

Catholicism observes special holy days when eating meat is
forbidden.

Lent: "A fast of forty days preceding Easter
There is no mention in Scripture of the observance of Lent,
or, indeed, or any determined time for fasting among
Christians" - Dictionary, p. 512.

"What is abstinence? The Church's law of abstinence
says that on certain days you may not eat meat What
are the days of obligatory abstinence? Ash Wednesday and all
the Fridays of Lent" - Catechism, p. 132.

But the Bible teaches:

1. The Lord's supper is the only New Testament memorial with
any regular, fixed time frequency. It is a memorial of Jesus'
death observed each first day of the week (I Cor. 11:23-26; Acts
20:7).

2. Gal. 4:10,11 expressly warns of the danger of giving
religious significance to days not authorized by God.

3. Binding that people must not eat meats at certain times is
a clear evidence of apostasy (I Tim. 4:1-3).

PURGATORY AND INDULGENCES

Catholicism teaches there is, after death, a place of
temporary punishment which can be escaped by the merits of other
people.

"What is purgatory? A place and state of temporary
punishment after death Who goes to purgatory? Those
1) who die while guilty of unrepented venial sins 2)
who die without having done sufficient penance to pay the
debt of the temporal punishment still due their past sins
Where do you go when you leave purgatory? To heaven to
be with God Can you help the souls in purgatory? You
can shorten their stay by having Masses said for them,
praying for them and doing good works for them" - Catechism,
pp. 37-39.

Regarding indulgences, we are told: "The Church has
recourse to the infinite merits of Christ and to the
merits of saints who have done penance more than sufficient
to pay the temporal punishment due to their own sins
their actions had a penitential character which availed for
others if not needed for themselves" - Dictionary,
p. 441.

In other words, people in the past did more good works than
they themselves needed to get out of purgatory. By meeting the
conditions set down by the priest, you can claim the benefit of
these good works, so you or a loved one get out of purgatory
sooner. That is an indulgence.

But the Bible teaches:

1. After death, there will be no crossing over from the place
of punishment to the place of reward (Luke 16:26). Hence, our
eternal destinies are fixed at the time of death and cannot be
changed by anything we or anyone else does.

2. Each person will be rewarded according to what he
personally did in the body (Ezek. 18:20; 2 Cor. 5:10). No one's
reward or punishment after death can be determined by what other
people do.

3. No human has any excess good deeds beyond what he himself
needs (Rom. 3:9-18,23; I John 1:8,10; James 2:10; Luke 17:10).

4. God is no respecter of persons. Wealthy people have no
advantage over poor people regarding their destiny after death (Acts
10:34,35; James 2:1-9; 2 Cor. 8:12; Mark 12:41-44). But since the
priest gets paid to say masses for the dead, the doctrine of
purgatory lets people who are rich (or who have rich relatives)
escape punishment sooner than poor people.

CONFESSION TO THE PRIEST

Catholicism teaches that sins must be confessed to a
priest to be forgiven.

"Who has the power to forgive sin today? All bishops
and priests of the Catholic Church can forgive sin
What do you have to do to have your sins forgiven? You have
to be truly sorry for them and confess them to a Catholic
priest Does the priest merely pray that your sins will
be forgiven? No, acting as God's instrument and ordained
minister, he truly forgives the sins" - Catechism,
pp. 78.

But the Bible teaches:

1. Only God can forgive sins (Mark 2:7-12).

2. "The words 'priest,' 'priesthood' are never
applied in the New Testament to the office of the Christian
ministry. All Christians are priests (I Pet. 2:5,9; Apoc. 5:10)"
- Dictionary, p. 692. (Note that this is the admission of
an official Catholic reference work.)

3. All Christians can pray to God through Christ for
forgiveness of their own sins (Acts 8:22; Matt. 6:12).

4. Any Christian can pray for the forgiveness of another
Christian; but they only pray - they cannot actually forgive the
sin. And all righteous men (not some special priestly class) do
this for one another (James 5:16).

5. The only mediator between us and God is Jesus (I Tim. 2:5).

Conclusion

We must conclude that, despite its claims, the Catholic church
is not the true, original church since it does not follow the
teaching and practice of the original church.

Note: If you would like to study further about related Bible
topics, we have a number of other study materials on our web site
that should interest you. Please see the links listed below.